Share story

PEORIA, Ariz. — Thyago Vieira stepped on a mound for the first time this spring and most of the Mariners front office and coaching staff watched intently as the flame-throwing right-hander threw his bullpen session on Friday.

Vieira has a fastball that has touched 103 mph and could be the next hard-throwing reliever to make the jump from Class AA to the big leagues.

Here’s the backstory on how Vieira went from almost being released to being added to the 40-man roster and invited to big league spring training in one year.

Ryan Divish: 206-464-2373 or rdivish@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @RyanDivish. Ryan Divish covers the Mariners and offers his perspective all season. He gives his inside look at Major League Baseball and power rankings every Sunday.